The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of fluid interface devices, such as airfoil structures, for example, use in connection with the relative movement of fluid, and, more particularly, to a fluid interface device that includes an edge extension supported adjacent one or more movable bands and operative to influence fluid flow along the one or more movable bands.
The subject matter of the present disclosure finds particular application and use in connection with airfoil structures, such as wings of aircraft and blades of wind turbines, and is shown and described herein with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the subject matter of the present disclosure is amenable to use in a variety of other applications and/or environments, such as air moving devices (e.g., fans) and other power generation systems (e.g., turbines), for example. As such, it is to be understood that the specific reference herein to use on and/or in association with aircraft wings and wind turbines is merely exemplary of such use and is not intended to be in any way limiting.
The use of fluid interface devices, such as aircraft wings and wind turbine blades, for example, to convert forces imparted by fluid flowing along or across a fluid interface device into forces useful for performing work are well known. Nonetheless, efforts to improve the performance of such fluid interface devices continue to be made. One example of such an effort relates to a construction for improving the performance of aircraft, and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,109 to Garver. Another example of such an effort relates to a construction for improving the performance of wind turbines, and is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0148290 to Garver.
Notwithstanding the prior development and overall success of the aforementioned constructions, it is believed desirable to continue to develop fluid interface devices, such as an airfoil structure for an airplane or a wind turbine, for example, and methods of assembly that further advance the art of known fluid interface devices.